Recovery Life Skills with LifeSpring

Some people don’t realize that recovery from substance use disorder (SUD) is about much more than simply putting down the drink or the drug. Recovery is about addressing the underlying issues that caused an individual to use substances in the first place. It is also about acquiring the life skills necessary for living a healthy, happy, and fulfilled life. These life skills include making healthy food choices and maintaining a balanced diet in recovery.

Learning important life skills, including how to develop a healthier relationship with food, helps people heal and grow. Some common skills taught in addiction recovery treatment programs include:

• Budgeting and financial management
• Creative problem-solving
• Healthy decision-making
• Mindfulness and self-awareness
• How to develop healthy relationships
• Effective communication
• Interpersonal skills
• Critical thinking and problem-solving skills
• Goal setting
• Positive coping mechanisms
• How to build a support system
• Sober living routines
• Emotional regulation

Essential life skills support long-term recovery by enabling people to develop healthy coping strategies for everyday life. A healthy lifestyle improves self-esteem, increases overall wellness, and reduces the risk of relapse. Many people learn these skills at a treatment center, in outpatient programs, from healthcare providers, in training programs, or by attending support groups. Family members often play a critical role in the recovery process by encouraging their loved one to enter a recovery center. The skills people acquire in treatment provide a solid foundation for building a fulfilling life with fewer stressors.

Addiction Treatment, Self-Care, and Developing Independent Living Skills

Self-care, stress management, and life skills training help people heal from the lingering effects of substance abuse. Recovery life skills increase people’s overall well-being by improving their quality of life and mental health. Nutrition plays a crucial role in the recovery journey of most people. Healthier routines and activities in their daily life reduce stress and the risk of relapse.

The Importance of Nutritional Life Skills in Recovery

Unfortunately, people often aren’t aware of just how depleted they can become when they are struggling with addiction. For example, many people who struggle with alcohol use disorder (AUD) are extremely vitamin- and mineral-deficient.

According to Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research, “Chronic alcoholic patients are frequently deficient in one or more vitamins. The deficiencies commonly involve folate, vitamin B6, thiamine, and vitamin A … Alcoholism can affect the absorption, storage, metabolism, and activation of many of these vitamins.” Replenishing these essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants is crucial if one wishes to recover from addiction at the cellular level. Achieving optimal health is also about obtaining the necessary nutrients and eliminating anti-nutrients.

What exactly are nutrients and anti-nutrients? According to the Journal for Nurse Practitioners, “Nutrients are plant and animal sources providing macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates, fat), micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, antioxidants, probiotics), and fiber … Anti-Nutrients are food products that have no biological necessity. Though edible, these are not considered “food”: high fructose corn sweeteners, sugars, artificial sweeteners, highly processed and hydrogenated fats, refined flour products, preservatives, and additives.” These provide the basis for nutritious eating in recovery.

The Support Nutrition Offers for Building Other Recovery Life Skills

Ensuring that one receives good nutrition is a life skill. Yet, good nutrition also provides a foundation for the attainment of other life skills in recovery. Receiving proper nutrients also leads to a lower incidence of disease. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Good nutrition is essential in keeping current and future generations of Americans healthy across the lifespan.” In addition, “People with healthy eating patterns live longer and are at lower risk for serious health problems such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity. For people with chronic diseases, healthy eating can help manage these conditions and prevent complications.”

Nutrition also ensures that individuals in recovery don’t fall into the trap of trying to self-medicate with alcohol or other substances due to nutrient deficiencies. Proper nutrition helps to eliminate the physical cravings one feels for alcohol and substances because it keeps one satisfied. Nutrients also protect against the mental cravings of addiction. A proper and nutritious diet can help reduce mental fog, stress, anxiety, depression, and other mental health symptoms.

People in recovery with poor nutrition, on the other hand, often feel dissatisfied and look for something that is missing. Unfortunately, this invites the potential for relapse, and relapse is much more common than many people may think.

Helping to Prevent Relapse With Recovery Life Skills

According to Current Psychiatry Reports, “It has long been known that addictive disorders are chronic and relapsing in nature. Recent estimates from clinical treatment studies suggest that more than two-thirds of individuals relapse within weeks to months of initiating treatment.”

Also, “For 1-year outcomes across alcohol, nicotine, weight, and illicit drug abuse, studies show that more than 85% of individuals relapse and return to drug use within one year of treatment.” People need multi-faceted help to better avoid these relapses.

How Nutrition Life Skills Help Those in Recovery

Recovery is all about the “we,” never the “me.” It is important to get help when one is in recovery. Facing recovery alone is not only more difficult but also leads to higher rates of relapse. This help must also include help with food and eating choices. This is where our medically tailored meals (MTMs) at LifeSpring Home Nutrition, with convenient home delivery and affordable prices, can be so essential.

There are many independent living skills that one has to tackle in recovery. These include communication skills, occupational and/or academic skills, and social skills. Anywhere one can get help with life skills can make a big difference. By utilizing the services at LifeSpring Home Nutrition, individuals can ensure they have access to the exact food with the essential nutrition they need right when they need it. This way, they can focus on other important aspects of their recovery.

Offering Positive Recovery Support at LifeSpring Home Nutrition

Here at LifeSpring Home Nutrition, we understand that recovery can be one of the most challenging experiences a person will ever face. However, we also know it can be one of the most rewarding journeys a person will undertake.

That is why we make it our mission to help people in recovery with their food choices. We make it our mission to be part of the “we” side of their recovery. That way, people can continue to focus more closely on the essential “me” side. With our help, people can achieve sobriety more effortlessly and, as a result, enjoy lifelong optimal health.

Nutrition is one of the most crucial factors in lasting recovery from substance misuse, abuse, and substance use disorder (SUD). Proper nutrients provide great support and can make it easier or harder for your recovery. Nutritional life skills can also be implemented alongside other independent living skills for individuals recovering from addiction. These can include time management, education, and communication. If you think you or someone you love can benefit from healthy, medically tailored meals (MTMs) with convenient home delivery at affordable prices, we can help.

For more information about balancing the emotional and physical aspects of eating and the wide range of healthy options provided by LifeSpring Home Nutrition, please call us at (800) 798-5767.